A Little Homework Goes a Long Way
by HamPickleSandwich
Summary: Gosalyn, for once, has done her homework. But Drake Mallard is supicious. Why is she being so secretive about it? And how did her work get such high grades? Approximately a 3 shot. Family fluff.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi, it's me again. First I want to apologise for my inaction for the past little while.. I'm hoping at least fans of Disney/Darkwing Duck may enjoy what is my first attempt at a Darkwing Duck fanfiction. It's not going to be very long - I'm aiming for a 3 shot though it may be a 5 shot in the end. I have to say now, though - I wish I could remember watching more of D.W Duck when I was little, it's a great show! Jim Cummings has the BEST voice - some of the scenes I have watched make Drake/D.W sound really convincing as a person (eg; 'Remind me to punish you later...'). The other thing I could just die over is the family fluff. There isn't that much, from what I've seen, but it was sooo cute! My favourite examples so far are the tickling, lullaby and adoption scenes from the beginning of Darkly Dawns the Duck (Part 2) and when D.W tells Gosalyn he loves her in Dead Duck.**_

_**And general housekeeping duties: I DUN OWN ANY O' DIS STUFF. IT'S TOO AWESOME FOR ME TO OWN. Also please let me know if there's anything I can do to make the characters more in character (I could use a little advice on Launchpad, I was too afraid to include him in this chapter for fear he would be OOC - D.W has gone on a solo mission.) and advance apologies if characters are OOC! -HamPickleSandwich  
><strong>_

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><p><em>Sneaking in, in the dead of night, our hero slides his way in without any noise at all! Even the rotating recliners cannot foil this avenger's plans for a quiet entrance. On the very tips of his toes, the masked mallard tiptoes into the kitchen for a delicious dinner deemed fit for Darkwing Duck; in the form of a... GOSALYN? <em>

_CRASH!_

"Gosalyn Mallard, what are you still doing up in the middle of the night? You should have gone to sleep hours ago!" the masked duck cried, taking his hat off with a very unsophisticated movement. If anything was more worrying than the safety of the citizens of St. Canard, then it was the wellbeing of his daughter; and her staying up this late was no aid to her health. Gosalyn looked up from her smashed plate of peanut butter and jelly sandwich and scowled; the light from the fridge highlighted the forming bags under her eyes.

"I can't help it if I can't do my homework in an hour! My English assignment is _hard_!" she replied indignantly, her arms sagging as she emphasised the word 'hard'. In a moment of quiet, the crime fighter moved to turn on the kitchen light as the red haired Mallard rummaged in the fridge for a juice box. Her prize attained, she went to reprepare her meal at the kitchen table.

"You said you didn't have any English homework!" Darkwing Duck pointed out, finally, when he sat opposite the girl with his own respective sandwich. Gosalyn looked up at him tiredly; exasperation written all over her face.

"You do remember what happened the last time I told you about my English homework?" she asked, taking a bite out of her sandwich hungrily. This time, it was the father that became exasperated.

"If I recall correctly, it was _you _that took the Time Top and brought back my ancestors, not me." he replied coolly, taking a retaliatory bite of his sandwich. She pondered this for only a moment.

"That means that it was because of _me_ that your ancestors were really cool and stuff, keen gear!" she exclaimed. Darkwing Duck simply stared at her, eyes narrowed. Gosalyn resumed glaring; taking a long slurp out of her juice box, before suddenly choking on it. The hands that thumped her back carefully were there instantly, true to her father's caring nature. She sputtered appreciatively.

"Since... when... do... we buy... grapefruit juice? Blech! Dad, this stuff is way too sour!" she gasped, pushing away the juice box in disgust.

"Hey, I didn't do the shopping this week, remember?" Darkwing said in defence. He returned to his chair, ignoring his sandwich. He instead observed the girl finish her midnight snack and gulp down her replacement drink (a glass of milk).

They had been together for nearly two years now. Together they had celebrated her ninth and tenth birthday, and shared one Christmas (come to think of it, he would have to think of buying presents soon...) together with his sidekick and best friend, Launchpad McQuack. During that time she had seen him stop crime (even dabbling in the crime fighting business herself) and exercise discipline on criminals and children (namely herself) alike. Despite the precarious balance between his life of crime fighting and his life of being a single parent, despite all of what Gosalyn knew and had seen, she managed to keep him grounded. It had been her spirited self that kept him grounded for the past two years.

She had already dumped her dishes by the sink and turned to leave the kitchen before she noticed him staring.

"Dad...?" she asked, waving her hand in front of his eyes. Darkwing Duck blinked and shook his head, gently slapping her hand away from his face.

"You know, Gosalyn, it's been nearly two years that we've been a family." he quipped, not caring that it was completely irrelevant to their conversation. She cocked her head.

"...yeah? So?" she said back. Darkwing Duck took a large bite out of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully; reminiscing briefly over the night after they met, when she taught him her lullaby in the tower.

"I dunno. Just something to think about. Brush your teeth before you go to bed," he told her. She went to run up the stairs before he called out to her. "Oh, and Gos?" She turned around suspiciously. He smiled at her, taking off his mask.

"Give me a minute to change and I'll tuck you in." Drake Mallard offered, before gulping down the rest of his sandwich.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hello again :) So here's the second part of the story. So far I think it will be a three-shot, as I intended, which is great! At this point I'm also getting ideas for a oneshot, which if I write it you may see pretty soon. I'm probably going to start working on the final part to this story once this is all good and posted, though. Anyway, hope you enjoy this installment, and I hope I got Launchpad in character! (I hope his derp moment isn't too.. well, derp.)**_

_**Disclaimer: I'm not cool enough to own Darkwing Duck D: (the series belongs to Disney)  
>-HamPickleSandwich<strong>_

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><p>For a while, it seemed like there was only one occupant of the house. Launchpad, the only member of the household to have gotten a decent night's sleep, had already settled upon the couch to watch the morning news. He wasn't surprised that Gosalyn didn't surface until 9:30, knowing that she had still been hunched over her desk when he retired to his room.<p>

"Morning, Gos!" he greeted her, when she shuffled into the room, steaming mug in hand. The smell of coffee was brought to his attention when she flopped onto the couch beside him.

"Uh, gee, Gos? You sure D.W would want you drinking coffee at your age?" he asked, though he wasn't very concerned. Having known Gosalyn almost as long as Darkwing had, he knew that she would take no heed to his advice, and that any arguments between father and daughter would take place after the caffeine kicked in. Reinforcing his beliefs, Gosalyn simply mumbled something in reply. The pair sat in contented silence as they watched the television, Gosalyn becoming more alert as she drank the contents of her mug. Soon the news updates changed into talk shows; and the usual sounds of Drake Mallard crawling down the stairs could be heard.

"_Coffee..._" came the familiar groan. A hand fumbled for the 'on' switch upon the coffee pot, reaching for the customary '#1 DAD' mug with success. The part time superhero's head popped up as his took in his typical caffeine dose, gaining enough energy to walk in on his daughter and housemate, the former innocently eating her Frosty-O's with a little too much vigour.

"Morning D.W!" Launchpad said with a smile. Gosalyn garbled out a 'hello' behind her mouthful.

"Gosalyn, I've told you not to eat with your mouth full... have you been drinking coffee?" Drake said, his tone becoming sterner as he realised that his beloved daughter had once again broke the general child rules in half. She looked up, annoyed.

"I wouldn't have needed it if my homework wasn't so hard..." she said defensively. _Oh, that's right, she was doing her... homework?_

"Since when do you stay up late doing your homework, missy?" he said – though his tone wasn't really distinguishable as a joking tone or a stern and suspicious one. He couldn't help but notice Gosalyn flinch, the briefest of hurt looks. She covered it up with a show of looking wounded.

"Low blow, oh father mine! I, Gosalyn Mallard, not ever stay up late for the cause of my very important education?" she said grandiosely, making sweeping gestures with her hands. Drake simply eyed her over his coffee.

"...Since now?" she offered. The father of one decided to let the matter down lightly for a time, settling down in his armchair. Knowing Gosalyn, she had probably decided to clean up her act for a while in order to get her allowance raised. He knew she was saving up for that new Whiffle Boy game (or was it that ridiculous replica Blood Zombies 5 mask? He could never keep up) and she certainly had a ways to go before she got enough money.

"It certainly is a pleasant change." he commented, his smile broadening a little when the news bulletin flashed onto the television screen.

"_...and once again, the city of St. Canard is safe from the acts of super villainy as our very own hero Darkwing Duck foiled the plans of the nefarious Megavolt; who was responsible for the mysterious power surges last night. According to the masked mallard, Megavolt was attempting to..." _

"Oh, I never asked! How did it go last night with Megavolt, D.W?" Launchpad asked suddenly. He was met with a momentary stare while the newsreader summarised in the background. Realising what he had just asked, he grinned sheepishly.

"Never mind."

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><p>Without a case to solve for the time being, Drake contented himself with filling out S.H.U.S.H order forms for more gas canisters. However, all too soon it occurred to him that the house was quiet. Without the sounds of Gosalyn playing games or Launchpad wandering about the house, he felt a little unsettled. Since when was the Mallard household ever peaceful? This was the man who fought crime! This was the man with an incredibly spirited daughter that enjoyed wrecking the house! This was the man with a girlfriend who immersed herself in the dark arts! ...This was the man who was <em>really<em> unsettled by the quiet house.

"GOSALYN?" he yelled, impatience seeping through him like a disease. He waited a moment for her reply.

"Up here, D.W!" Launchpad called back from the direction of Gosalyn's bedroom. Drake wandered up the stairs towards the source of the familiar sounds of Gosalyn having a quiet panic. She was trying to hide something.

"When the house is really quiet _someone_ is usually _up to something_..." he began, standing in her doorway, hands on hips. The scene before him wasn't an unusual sight – Gosalyn sat too casually at her desk while Launchpad took his customary spot at the end of the bed. They knew something he didn't – _and he was going to find out. _

"What's going on, Gosalyn?" he asked, standing over her with his sternest look. His daughter glared at him again – the same look she had given him the night before.

"I was practicing my speech on Launchpad. I didn't do anything wrong." she shot back. He believed her for a minute – until he noticed the paper beside her was face down.

"You can't fool me, Gosalyn, I know when you're scheming." he replied coolly, making an attempt to reach for the paper. His daughter, however, had other ideas, snatching it away and scrambling to the other side of the room.

"She really was doing her homework, D.W, she's written a really swell report. We were just trying to think of a better word for 'know' – you know, when you really get someone?" Launchpad interjected. Drake stopped for a moment, thinking.

"You understand them. When you get how someone acts you understand them – and I understand how you two work as a team. Don't think that you're off the hook yet, missy. I will find out what you are up to and Darkwing Duck always finds out what he wants to know!" he answered, leaving the room. When the door closed behind him, he remained at the door, holding his breath to listen to some of the conversation.

"_This isn't fair! He's making me feel terrible when I haven't even done anything!"_

"_I still don't see why you can't tell him, Gos."_

"_Because if he knew what it was about he wouldn't let me read it in front of the class!" _

"_Well, at least it's finished. Maybe you could tell him afterward?"_

"_He probably still would overreact. I don't wanna risk my allowance." _

At this point, he decided to stop eavesdropping. If she really hadn't done anything wrong, perhaps he needed to just trust her a little more. If everything was really okay, then she would tell him in due course.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hello once more, fellow Darkwing fans! Here's the last part to my three shot story. I hope they kind of remain in character, this chapter gets pretty sentimental at the end. I'm hoping I explained Gosalyn's behaviours believably enough. So prepare yourselves for the fluffy part. -HamPickleSandwich**_

Disclaimer: I don't own Darkwing Duck, that be property of Disney.

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><p>Being a Monday, Drake was a little more comfortable with the quiet in the house. For a time he situated himself in the tower, monitoring the usual suspects of crime that were not currently inhabiting a cell block. Upon his return Launchpad had busied himself with more shopping, having this time bought the right juice boxes for Gosalyn and all the other necessary items for their afternoon and evening meals (meaning sandwich spreads and T.V dinners). It occurred to him that he had never talked to Launchpad about what Gosalyn had been hiding from him. He knew that it wasn't exactly going on his silent promise to trust her more... but he was genuinely curious.<p>

"By the way... what was Gosalyn doing for her English report, Launchpad?" he said conversationally, as he joined Launchpad in putting the groceries away. Launchpad was quiet for a moment.

"She doesn't want you to know about it, D.W. I told her that you would be suspicious if she didn't tell you but you know Gos. She's stubborn." he replied. Drake sat down, drumming his fingers on the table in slight frustration. Even his sidekick was against him on this one!

"If she's planning to ambush me to get something she's got another think coming, Launchpad!" he declared, getting up to go to the phone. Launchpad's face fell as the phone rang.

"Hmm. Must be getting psychic powers or something." Drake commented with a small smile.

"Hello?" he said into the speaker end of the phone.

"_Hello, Mr. Mallard, its Mrs. Farnsworth here... I wanted to talk to you briefly about Gosalyn." _The voice on the other side was the voice of Gosalyn's school principal. Drake flinched, though he mouthed 'I told you so' triumphantly to Launchpad, who looked on, worry in his expression.

"Has she gotten into trouble again?" he asked, hoping that her misbehaviour was a typical response, like playing baseball in the hallways again.

"_Oh, not at all! In fact Gosalyn's teacher just brought her most recent English homework task to my attention. She's received the highest grade in the class – I have to say, I've read it myself and Gosalyn's honesty is truly touching."_ Principal Farnsworth's voice betrayed her pleasure at reporting his daughter's apparent good behaviour. A chilling feeling spread though his like ice – he felt ashamed of himself.

"W-well, Gosalyn can... you see, she – she is capable when she puts her mind to it." he stammered.

"_Of course. Anyway, the main reason why I am calling you is in regards to the Parent and Teacher evening tomorrow night. As you would be aware each teacher gives a short presentation summarising the general progress of their students to the attending parents, and students who have made high achievements are encouraged to present their work to the class and the attending parents." _Drake's heart sank.

"Ok." he replied, feeling like a rat. Gosalyn had been telling the truth the entire time – and if she had gotten the highest marks in class then that meant she had put a lot of work into her assignment.

"_I will be seeing you at the Parent Teacher Conference tomorrow evening. Congratulations on your daughter's achievements!" _she said. Drake mumbled a weak thank you and a goodbye before he hung up the phone, the icy feeling making his heart constrict.

"What's up, D.W?" Launchpad asked. Drake was quiet for a moment before he groaned.

"I treated poor Gosalyn lousily yesterday. She got the highest grade." he informed the aviator. He sank into the nearest chair, slumping.

"Ah, don't worry, D.W. She wasn't all that mad." Launchpad supplied helpfully. Unfortunately, he didn't feel all that reassured.

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><p>Drake decided not to let on that he knew Gosalyn was to present her speech to the class plus their parents. No doubt Gosalyn would have told him by now – or she wanted to keep it a secret. Judging by the submissive way she had allowed him to fuss over her general appearance ("And what were you playing at school today? Swamp monsters?"), she didn't want to tell him about her achievements just yet. Still, he had to do something – things were not quite O.K. between them, a situation which Drake could never quite handle.<p>

"...Dad? You're going the wrong way." Gosalyn pointed out to him, when he turned the car left instead of right. He glanced at her and grinned.

"That's because I figure since we'd be a little early anyway we've got plenty of time to stop off at Hamburger Hippo first." he replied, feeling a little of the cold guilt slip away at her exclamation of 'Keen gear!'

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><p>By now Drake was used to going to meetings at the school, though the Parent Teacher Conference was something he had only been to a couple of times before. He assumed his expected position at Gosalyn's desk at the back, while she sat on top of the desk in front of him. As expected the teacher began to tell the parents of the class curriculum (though it seemed more to him like she droned on, repeating the exact same speech he heard the last time he had been to the conference) while the students fidgeted and their respective parents eagerly tried to settle them. Surprisingly, Gosalyn was well behaved, though she did give a stifled yawn several times.<p>

"...And before I answer any questions, I'd now like to call the students up to the front of the classroom to present their work to the parents." the teacher said suddenly. Gosalyn's name was called out among others (unsurprisingly Honker had been asked to present a science project, to which Binkie had flushed with pleasure) as she hopped down from her spot on the desk.

Much to his irritation he had to sit impatiently through other speeches and presentations (though Honker's report on molecular structure was of some interest to him) before Gosalyn was called forward. Strangely enough Gosalyn turned a little pale when she faced the classroom. Now was indeed the moment of truth – he would find out what exactly she had hidden from him. He leaned forward with interest as the teacher explained why her work was of merit.

"Gosalyn certainly surprised me when she returned the most recently given homework task, in which students were asked to give a description of their hero. I specifically asked the children to choose an actual person that had a significant influence on their life, and to be honest about their work. It wasn't about who they chose or how many pages they wrote about their chosen person; it was why they chose them. Though a little brief, it is clear that she couldn't be any more truthful about why she chose her ideal role model. Gosalyn, dear, you may begin."

And with that, Gosalyn began. She kept her eyes on the paper, reading clearly, though Drake couldn't help but notice her hands shook a little.

"My hero is not somebody to be messed with. He's the coolest guy around, but you better not get on his bad side, 'cause he's pretty nasty to bad guys." Drake's eyes widened – had she chosen Darkwing Duck as her hero? After what happened last time? Her remark about her hero being able to 'sneak around like nobody's business' certainly didn't boost his confidence.

"But his head is really huge. Sometimes he wishes that he was more famous than that Darkwing Duck guy. Actually, make that all the time. He thinks he can do everything." As his daughter went on he realised that Gosalyn had completely ignored his alternate persona. Instead, she had hit a little closer to home – _she was talking about Drake Mallard. _The comments about being a 'True Outdoorsman' certainly removed any doubts about that.

"What's more, my hero can really be a pain. It burns my biscuits. He grounds me all the time, and he never raises my allowance, and I'm now ten years old! I can't live on just two dollars a week!" she cried, much to the amusement of the other parents. Drake shrunk down in his seat, embarrassed. That girl was going to live on a lot less than two dollars a week if she continued on like that.

"However... without my hero, I wouldn't be the person I am today." she said, when the laughter had stopped. She visibly swallowed, her stance changing just slightly, enough for him to notice.

"Even if I don't get to have fun with him all the time, I know it's because he wants me to be safe. Even if it does mean I get grounded for not doing my homework, I know it's because he wants me to be the best person I can be." Gosalyn's voice was quieter now. She looked a little embarrassed to be saying what she had written down. Right now, she was showing off a different side of her – as spirited as Gosalyn was she had very rare moments of vulnerability. Now was clearly one of those times.

"My hero is the one person that really understands me. He knows that I'm not a problem child – he knows I just have spirit. He took me in when I had nowhere else to go. If my hero hadn't been there for me then, I would still be in that orphanage, waiting until I got adopted." Gosalyn read this slowly, as if she had taken a lot of care into writing these words. Being the way she was, it became clear to him why she had kept her work a secret. Sometimes, he noticed, Gosalyn tried not to be too attached, most likely because of the dangers associated with his career. Her speech was a reminder of how fragile she really was – though she was a strong girl, she depended on his presence in her life. She looked up then; looking directly at him.

"And that's why my hero is my dad." she finished. In her eyes was a familiar look. He had seen it a few times – now it brought the memory of the adoption centre, where she barrelled into him, sending him into the floor. He had given her his birth name; privileged information for those that knew Darkwing Duck. Then she had looked at him in a new light, one that said that she loved him and would always do so, that he was the new tether tying her down to earth.

As the parents and other children applauded, Drake reflected on his thoughts of two nights previous, when he had sat opposite her, eating sandwiches in the middle of the night after an evening of catching crime committers. She kept him grounded; but somehow he served the same purpose to her. Perhaps it was not the world they were tied down to – but each other, kept together by invisible bonds that nobody could ever cut. It was this thought that kept him from saying anything as the conference finished and the parents exited with their children. Gosalyn walked quickly beside him in silence before they reached the car.

"Aren't you going to say _anything?_" she snapped angrily. He was surprised to see that her eyes had begun to water. Did she take his silence as anger or embarrassment over simply being speechless? He knelt down, meeting her eyes. She blushed furiously as she blinked back tears. Drake simply threw his arms around her, embracing her as tightly as he could manage. Gosalyn was certainly surprised by this sudden show of affection, but she returned the hug.

"I'm proud of you, Gosalyn." he murmured into her ear.

He would never be sure why she cried, but he was content to remain there as long as she needed him to, among the headlights of the exiting cars, the calls of children, and the darkness of the night.


End file.
